Dog Days of Summer

The month of August ends on a high note for us. We found the perfect addition to our family with our new adopted dog, Bella. She needed to be re-homed and Russ happened to find her at just the right time earlier this month. She was oh, so skinny, and in need of a lot of tender loving care. We haven't had her for quite a month, so she is not 100% yet. But she is getting as much love as we can give, and returns it ten-fold with puppy licks and gratitude. Bella was just what the Doctor ordered for our family, as we have had a bit of a rough year ever since our dear Wilson passed away in January. Maggie and the cats have accepted Bella into the pack, for the most part. We still have some work to do in that area. All in good time. What I love most is she's helped me to smile again. Such a sweet dog, and good for our souls. 💕

Our new dog Bella enjoying her new found freedom with our old dog Maggie.

We got away with the dogs for a quick trip to Bear Lake. So much fun. 

Bella is already looking much better since the first day we got her, when she was skin and bones.

The summer days are coming to an end, and harvesting in the garden is taking place. Not quite as good as year's past, as we had a terrible issue with grasshoppers and aphids this year. But enough of a harvest to enjoy the fruits of our labor. And we were able to enjoy the roses again this month, even though everything seemed to struggle in the extra hot heat of the summer sun. 

Beautiful sunrise morning.

My favorite color of rose.

This one reminds me of ice cream sherbet. 

The month of August also saw another shipment of Blown Glass Wildlife headed out the door to the Yellowstone Park Stores again. 

Blown Glass Yellowstone Wildlife

After that order was wrapped up, Russ got creative and "upcycled" some window glass onto some kaowool in the large kiln. The end result was a curvy decorative dish, seen below. It turned out so well, he slumped another one to be auctioned off at his family's reunion. I upcycled some bottles as well to finish off the trays.  The end result can be seen below. 

Firing Float Glass onto Kaowool in the Kiln.

The end result

Another upcycled piece of art was auctioned off at a family reunion.

Colorful blown glass dragonflies were also created for a customer this month.

And the last blown glass to head out the door is a Unicorn wedding cake top made for our niece's wedding in Virginia. So now that the dog days of summer are just about over, I'd better get packing now. I have lots of orders that need to be shipped today in order for us to begin the next big venture. Until next time, stay safe, and be well. 

Blown glass Unicorns with gold accents.

Full Plate on a Full Moon

 

Blown glass black cat and bright orange pumpkins created in the Studio.

Last evening as I walked outside with our dogs, I was privy to watch a very full moon rise on the horizon. I was wishing I had something other than my phone to take a clear picture of the bright round lunar mass. It literally lit up the whole sky. And on Halloween eve, it couldn't set the mood any better. I was out late in the evening after a very long day in the Studio, with a full plate of tasks to accomplish for the two of us.

A very full October moon last night on my walk with the dogs.

In between the many holiday orders already piling up, we managed to harvest the last of our garden goodies. The cantaloupes were nice and sweet this year, although on the small side.  We will be carving the pumpkins later today, just for tradition's sake. (And because the garden was so generous with the pumpkin patch this year.)

Last of the harvest from our garden, delicious, succulent canteloupes.

Russ spent many hours planning and working on the wall art project pictured below, trying to get it just right for our son and daughter-in-law. The colors were tough to choose, and many different styles were created before he felt good about the latest creation. It is all hand sculpted, blown glass. He also created the copper "stems" and painted them a matte black to compliment the decor in the bathroom area where it would be placed. It was a long time in the making, and given as a late house warming gift for their beautiful new home.

Up close picture of the latest wall art work. 

Cheery and bright blue floral art.

A nice addition to a beautiful bathroom. 

Now it is on to creating many different ornaments like the mountain goat pictured below, and the holiday rush that always happens in our Studio this time of year. It seems like we are getting many more online orders this year. Probably because more people feel more comfortable shopping in their home because of that dreadful Covid19. It is certainly keeping us hopping, even with months to go.

Mountain Goat Ornament

So I'm keeping the blog short and sweet, so I can get back at it. Many orders to ship, and pumpkins to carve. Happy Halloween! 

Our pumpkin patch gave us many "Great Pumpkins" this year. 

September Mornings

                

                    September is a great time for reflecting down the paths of memory lane.

September in Idaho reminds me of a warm, cozy blanket. I find myself wrapped up in the warm glow of the lights reflecting just right off  the high mountain peaks. This is where the two of us feel most at home, along with the companionship of our dog pack. Whether it's a long-forgotten path to walk, or peace and serenity at a high mountain lake, we enjoy it all. The nights are crisp and Fall is in the air. At the beginning of the month we treat ourselves to one last camping trip, as we know the holiday rush will keep us hopping soon enough, from one project to another in the Studio.

Our favorite getaway for September was this high mountain lake.

Our pups patiently waiting for us to catch the lake trout for dinner.

 The high mountain lake always provides us with plenty of small lake trout, and a sense of wonder at the beauty of it all. 

 We are also busy harvesting the garden during the month of September, canning much of the fruits and vegetables we have grown over the summer. Also, we love to take Fall walks  down familiar trails while enjoying the Autumn air.

Our apple trees are loaded this year.

September harvesting takes a good amount of time.

Having had a chance to enjoy the great outdoors,  Russ' creativity has increased this month. (Funny how that works.) Pictured below are some of the new projects he has completed in the Studio. The first piece has LED lights added for a nice glow, and would look great on a fireplace mantel. The wolf was screen printed, which is a new element we are adding to some of the glass works this year. There are also new designs to try out on fused glass bowls and plates, pictured below.

Screen Print of a Wolf in the Glass Mountain Peak.

Slumped and Fused Piece- "Fallen"

Slumped and fused aqua beads

Fused glass with dichroic accents

I say it every year, but Fall is the favorite season by far. We aren't so busy that we can't enjoy the beauty of the Fall mornings with many outdoor walks. The inspiration from what we perceive outside, carries on to creations in the Studio. Much like the Aspen scene below, combining Slumped and Fused with blown glass leaves. So out we go into the woods again, to gather inspiration for the next glass art work. Until next time, I hope you can take some time to enjoy all the sights and smells of  glorious Fall.

Fused Art with Blown glass accents

September Harvest

Another batch of wildlife headed to Yellowstone

Lately, it seems the months are blurring into each other. I can't believe we are already looking  into the month of October in a few days. Time sure has a way of getting away from us. I'll take the time to write a quick blog post today, then head back into the Studio for more projects. (We never seem to run out of them these days.) Pictured above is part of the latest blown glass wildlife order from the Yellowstone stores. 

A hand engraved slumped wine bottle created for a customer in Iowa.

The flattened (slumped) bottle and logo above were made for a winery in Iowa. We enjoy creating Business' logos with our engraver. It's a hand engraver, so I take my time with these kind of projects to get it just right. No such luxury of  a laser engraver yet, maybe in the future. 

Orders are already piling up for the coming Holidays.

Pictured above is part of an order we created for an Art Gallery that's located across the country. I have lots of finish work to do, like tying cords onto each individual ornament, and adding tags of course. I take extra time carefully wrapping each one with tissue paper and bubble wrap, to make sure it arrives safely to it's destination. (You wouldn't believe how much of that product we go through every month.) The Devil is in the details.

Meanwhile, our garden harvest is full-bore this month of September. We've already harvested beans, peas, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, peppers, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, herbs, and zucchini. Pictured below are the latest vegetables to be picked. We had no choice, as the garden got hit by frost last week. Looks like I have plenty of winter squash to store this year, along with a good variety of pumpkins. 

So, multi-tasking is a must in the month of September, with the business and home and garden duties. It's a way of life we have grown accustomed to. And you know how the saying goes, "You reap what you sow". Until next time, enjoy the Harvest. 

September is a month filled with canning garden goodies.

May Project for the Garden

Is it the last day of May already? I'm beginning to wonder how time keeps slipping away from me, the older I get. Time has had a way of eluding me lately, and I'm not sure how it slips out of my grasp so easily. Well, one last day to get the monthly Blog in. I'll make it short and sweet. 

Our garden sign from a couple years ago looked new, but needed a face lift this year.

This month has been so busy around the yard, sprucing up the trees, bushes and lawns, and planting the seasonal flowers and garden. After Old Man Winter has had his way with our landscape, it takes a lot of determination and effort to stay on top of such a large piece of property and the work that comes with it. Russ was busy with his own projects this month, so I managed to create a glass project of my own to spruce up the garden blocks. I was tired of repainting the garden sign every year, because of sun damage, so I decided to go with glass this year to see if it would last a little longer. 

Sanding old paint off the wood block.

First I had to sand down the old paint on the wood blocks. Then I re-stained the wood blocks. Next, I used our glass cutters and cut letters out of pieces of glass scrap left over from previous projects. I fused the lettering in the kiln overnight.

Cutting lettering from glass scraps.

Then I coated the glass molds with MR 97, a mold release spray used to help the glass frit come out of the molds, once they are fused and slumped in the kiln.

Glass molds need to be sprayed before use.

Next, I used a variety of crushed glass frit to fill the molds. I used butterflies, dragonflies, ladybug and flower molds for this project. 

A selection of crushed glass frit was used to fill the molds.

 And the picture below is the final project. Kind of whimsical by design, and hopefully will stand up to the harsh high desert climate for more than a year this time. 

Completed whimsical Garden blocks made with glass.

Well, that's about it for this month's blog. Now I'm headed out the door to ship more orders we processed off the website this busy month of  May. Until next time, happy gardening!

Taking Earth Day to Heart

A beautiful tree blossoms this Spring in one of our local parks.

This past weekend "Earth Day" was celebrated in our community. While the weather wasn't very cooperative for an outdoor celebration, just the act of celebrating the Earth causes one to pause and reflect how each of us as individuals can do our part in being good stewards of the land. I am reminded by events like these how important it is that we each do what we can to conserve and take care of our planet. And since moving out to the country a few years ago... I have seen in our own lives, the gratification that comes from working the soil. Also planting trees, flowers, gardens, and recycling has given us a sense of purpose and responsibility for our own patch of land, minuscule as it may seem for our planet's overall health. 

A double rainbow delights us after a thunderstorm.

Spring has a way of  reminding us everything old and washed out can become new again. Mother Nature displays awe-inspiring rainbows after a sporadic thunderstorm. We are busy planting new seeds in the greenhouse and taking care of our young "ugly" chickens so they can give us fresh organic eggs later in the year.

New chickens in their awkward, "teenage" phase. 

Just beginning to see plants coming up in our greenhouse.

We use the blue barrels below to water the greenhouse and chicken trough. When a fresh rain falls, it is collected in our rain gutter and stored in the containers for future use. 

Our water barrels help us recycle rainwater.

We also try to reuse as much as possible in our Studio to prevent waste. Below are two pictures that show how we take old scrap glass laying around, and cut it and rearrange it in various patterns. Next, it is slowly heated in the kiln. The end result has taken the scrap glass and turned it into a functional glass vase.

Kiln heating up scrap glass

The end result is a pretty decorative vase.

 Probably the best way our Studio helps recycle unwanted waste, is to "upcycle" used bottles. Below are a few samples of the many 100's of wine bottles we have flattened or slumped in our kilns. I hand engrave a design on them, and accessorize with bead work and copper wire to dress them up. Now they have gone from trash to treasure, as they are functional kitchen art that can hang on the wall or be used as trivets. 

Wine bottle art 

We have many designs and sayings to choose from.

Dragonflies are popular.

An affordable gift to give.

A great accessory to the kitchen.

These two are slumped together, and make a great trivet.

We have plenty of options of the bottle art to choose from in our Studio, as an affordable gift to give. We also have many other uses for the bottles, such as drinking glasses, tiki torches, wind chimes, or hummingbird feeders like the one pictured below.

Many functional uses for old bottles are available, including hummingbird feeders.

Finally, to go with a recycled theme, the vase and platter pictured below were created from old float glass, or window glass, that would have been discarded and taken up more space in some land fill. This process gives it a whole new life. We really enjoy taking the time and effort it takes to turn trash into treasure. Hopefully we will continue to think of new ways to be good stewards of the Earth and recycle. 

Turning scrap window glass into functional art work.